Historical Drought Picture
Drought Conditions: The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report, which was released on 5/21/2015 showed that following drought conditions by category :
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Natural gas production from shale began approximately 15 years ago, when it became a large scale commercial reality in North Texas. As more companies became aware of the commercial success and gained confidence in their ability to profit from hydraulic fracturing, shale production spread to other shale formations across the country. The chart below shows the significant increase in U.S. dry shale gas production through March 2015. Gas from shale now comprises nearly 50% of total U.S. production (Source: EIA)
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Depressed gas and electricity markets present one of the best buying environments in many years, even for terms as far out as 2020. This is particularly noteworthy considering the much higher price levels and prevailing market anxiety as we emerged from the Polar Vortex a year earlier.
In March 2014, natural gas (NG) inventories fell to 822 Bcf after a brutally cold winter that boosted heating demand well above normal levels. The sharp decline in inventories kept natural gas and electricity prices higher through most of 2014. However, record natural gas production, especially from shale plays including Marcellus have slowly replenished storage. Currently natural gas production is between 5 -7 Bcf higher compared to last year, so supply could outweigh demand throughout 2015.
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Topics: Polar Vortex, ERCOT, Acclaim Energy Advisors, demand response, energy savings, energy costs, natural gas, energy blog, energy supply, distributed generation, current outlook, heating demand, electricity markets, Energy Prices, Energy Trends, Fixed Prices, Weak Spot Prices
As the world has moved in to the 21st century, the amount of data being stored and communicated electronically continues to grow at an astronomical rate. Data centers are critical to today’s business world in that they allow everyday tasks such as email and email storage, provide back-up capability for many business, and are the technology hubs powering the data driven 21st century economy. Many data center companies are also involved in cloud computing which allows users to store and access their data anywhere in the world through a host of devices including laptops, tablets and smart-phones.
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During the fall, meteorologists sharpen their assumption to build their probability weighted winter weather forecast scenarios. From an energy perspective, this is also a critical time of the year. Since it is typically a period of low energy demand, there tend to be seasonal dips that provide good buying opportunities in natural and electricity. This year though, natural gas prices have been seesawing since mid-July 2014 due to the following reasons:
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Topics: Heating Season\, Polar Vortex, Texas Energy, forward curve, winter strip, spot price, energy risk management, energy sourcing, Acclaim Energy Advisors, energy management consulting, energy, energy procurement, weather outlook, reliable energy, energy costs, power generation, Weekly Energy Insights, natural gas, Event, energy management, energy management consultants, strategic energy sourcing, reserve margin, Price Spike, energy blog, power outages, Natural Gas Supply, price volatility, reserve, report, energy storage, NG Demand, seasonal drought, energy supply, EIA, Texas, Winter Weather, U.S. energy, NG, forecasting, refueling season, NG contract
As business has become increasingly competitive, the importance of controlling costs wherever possible has increased as well. In various parts of the country, one area of potential cost control involves energy procurement. While the opportunity to control energy costs exists, understanding this opportunity and capitalizing on it requires careful analysis and planning.
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Topics: energy risk management, Acclaim Energy Advisors, energy management consulting, energy, energy procurement, energy regulations, energy management
According to a recent report issued by ERCOT, transmission constraints, which have caused significant congestion cost increases for end users in the West Zone(e.g. Midland, Odessa) since March of 2012, are likely to spread to the Houston and South Zones (e.g. Brownsville, McAllen) of ERCOT in 2013.
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Topics: ERCOT, energy management consulting
Energy Outlook 8/16/2012
A shift in weather forecasts, calling for milder weather for consuming regions has pushed NG futures down as traders expect a decline of cooling demand. On the flip side, above normal nuclear outages are boosting demand for NG. We expect to see choppy trading in the near future.
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Video Outlook: August 2, 2012
A larger than expected injection of 28Bcf triggered a sharp selloff in the natural gas market. Likewise, a shift in forecasts calling for less intense temperatures contributed to the pullback. The September contract is now trading below $3.00/MMBtu, so such price has now become resistance. We have seen bargain hunting at this level; however, the degree of weather driven demand will dictate the next move.
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Topics: ERCOT Heat Rates, Acclaim Energy Advisors, energy management consulting, Webinar, Weekly Energy Insights, natural gas
Tropical Weather Outlook and Energy Management
After some choppy trading, Natural Gas futures are pulling back slightly. A shift in forecasts are calling for less intense temperatures for the first two weeks of August.
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Topics: Acclaim Energy Advisors, energy management consulting, risk management, weather outlook, natural gas
